Since
1978, the U.S. Congress has designated March as Women’s History
Month. The City Hall Library contains a diverse collection of resources
on women who have played significant roles in New York City politics,
history and culture.

Silent Builder: Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge by Marilyn
E. Weigold tells the story of the wife of the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn
Bridge, Washington Roebling. Mrs. Roebling assisted her husband in finishing
the designs for the bridge after he was taken ill and negotiated with
vendors, politicians and others to help ensure the that the bridge was
completed. Lillian Wald: Neighbor and Crusader by R.L. Duffus is a biography
of a wealthy young woman, who chose to devote her life to helping poor
immigrants improve their lives at the Henry Street Settlement House on
New York’s Lower East Side. Wald’s work was in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries.

Emily Dunning Barringer was the first woman to work as an emergency
ambulance surgeon in a New York City public hospital, beginning in 1903.
Her memoir Bowery to Bellevue: The Story of New York’s First Woman
Ambulance Surgeon chronicles her struggles and achievements. In My
Fight for Birth Control, Margaret Sanger describes her work as a nurse and
birth control activist in New York City. Sanger believed that women should
have freedom of choice in the matter of family planning and access to
contraception. She fought for these rights, often going to prison for
violating various laws of the time that prohibited distribution and use
of birth control.

Many women have achieved success in the political world. Shirley Chisholm
was the first African-American woman to be elected to the U.S Congress
in 1968, representing a district in Brooklyn. Unbought and Unbossed is
Chisholm’s account of her life and career. She started out as a
worker in a Brooklyn Democratic club and eventually was elected to New
York State Assembly and Congress. She became known as an advocate for
the poor and for women’s rights. Geraldine Ferraro, a Congressional
representative from Queens, was the first woman Vice-Presidential candidate
in 1984. Ferraro: My Story focuses mainly on her experiences in the 1984
presidential campaign and the challenges of being the first potential
woman President. Elizabeth Holtzman served four terms in the U.S.Congress,
was Brooklyn District Attorney and in 1989 became the first woman to
be elected Comptroller of New York City. In her book, Who Said it
Would be Easy: One Woman’s Life in the Political Arena, Holtzman discusses
her career in public service.

The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women published Women
Making History: Conversations with Fifteen New Yorkers in 1985. The book
features interviews with fifteen diverse New York women including Geraldine
Ferraro, Beverly Sills and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. The Library also has
copies of Mayoral Executive Orders nos. 28 of 1975 and 86 of 1987 establishing
and modifying the Commission. The City Hall Library’s vertical
files and biographical files also contain a wealth of information on
the unique contributions of women to New York City life.

In honor of Women's History Month, Department of Records is putting
up images of New York City women. The exhibit Continuity
and Change: NYC Women on the Move, contains materials from the
Commission on Women’s Issues, the Women’s Advisors and city agencies.

HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF NEW YORK CITY HOUSES

Ever wondered what your house looked like 60 years ago? Between
1939 and 1941, the City photographed every house and building
in the
five
Boroughs for tax purposes.
Department
of Records
has recently
made these unique images available for purchase. Visit http://nyc.gov/html/records/html/taxphotos/home.shtml for more info.

ACQUISITIONS LIST, JANUARY 2005

The following publications were received by the City Hall Library
in the month of January. Additional government publications
can be found online in our Government
Publications section.

Center for an Urban Future.Child welfare watch: pivot point, managing the transformation of child
welfare in New York City. Winter 1004-2005.

Center for an Urban Future.New York’s broadband gap. December 2004.

Hudson Planning Group.An Assessment of the housing needs of persons with HIV/AIDS: New York
City eligible metropolitan statistical area. Final report. January 15, 2005.

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.Partial action plan no. 8 for the World Trade Center memorial and cultural
program, related initiatives, and lower Manhattan tourism. Approved by
HUD as of 11/23/04.